Paper box forming apparatus



March 30, 1948. F. D. PALMER 2,433,788

PAPER BOX FORMING APPARATUS 2 Shets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 11, 1944 a ls im f 7 L 5 March 30, 1948. F. D. PALMER 2,438,788

PAPER BOX FORMING APPARATUS Filed Au fll, 194-4 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIH 44% G i l Patenied Mar. 30, 1948 2,438,78&

PAPER BOX FORMING APPARATUS Frank D. Palmer, Chicago, Ill., assignor to F. D. Palmer, Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois I Application August 11, 1944, Serial No. 549,030

of apparatus for forming a box from a pro-cut blank.

The main objects of the invention are to provide a reciprocatin plunger-type machine wherein the productive capacity is greatly increased. over that of conventional machines of the type mentioned; to provide a reciprocating plunger type of machine wherein box members may be made in pairs to constitute, for example, a telescopic box and cover packaging unit, or by which boxes of one size or of two different sizes may conveniently be made while operating the ma chine; and, in general, it is the object of the invention to provide improved box-making equipment of the character indicated.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood by reference to the following specification and accompanying drawings (two sheets), wherein th'ere is illustrated a box-making machine embodying a, selected form of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan of a paper board blank adapted to be formed'into a box by the apparatus herein disclosed;

Fig. 2 is a perspective of a partially completed box made from the blank shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan of another blank substantially similar to that shown in Fig. 1, which is also adapted to be formed into a box by the disclosed equipment;

Fig. 4 is a perspective illustrating a partially completed box formed from the blank shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a more or less diagrammatic illustration of the principal elements of a reciprocating plunger-type box-forming machine embodying my improved construction;

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5; and

Fig, 7 is a section corresponding to Fig. 6 but showin a changed position of the parts.

The apparatus selected for illustration in this application comprises a carton blank feeding conveyor I, which is arranged to feed carton blanks, such as represented at 2a and 2b to a table or plate 3 and against a stop 4 carried by said plate 3. The plate 3 has an opening 5 therein through which a vertically reciprocable plunger 6 is mov- 2 Claims. (Cl. 9351) 2 able for forming the blanks 2a and 2b respectively, into boxes.

The plunger 6 is vertically slidably mounted in any suitable manner, for example, by means of a cross arm 7, which extends transversely through approximately the center of the plunger ii. The cross arm 1 may be of double bar formation, as indicated in Fig. 5, and provided with single bar end portions 8 which extend between pairs of guides 9 at each side of the machine. The outer ends of the single bar portions 8 may be suitably formed to co-operate with the forked en'ds iii of levers or arms, such as shown at H. The arms II are adapted to be rocked about fixed pivots by means of rotary cams, such as shown at l2, acting through rock arms such as shown at l3 and suitable connections illustrated in Fig. 5, to the arms I l.

- As shown in Fig. 5, the plunger 5 is in its lowered position and a blank 2b is in position on the plate 3 over the opening 5. The next movement of the plunger 5 will be in an upward di rection, and the upper end I4 of the plunger will move upwardly through the opening 5 in the plate and press the box blank 21) through folders in the form of rollers l5l5, which operate to turn the side walls I6 of the blank downwardly relative to the top wall IT, as shownin Fig. 4. Continued upward movement of the plunger and box blank 21) carries the blank through the Zone of operation of tuckers, such as represented at I8IB, which are operated as usual to fold inwardly the end ears IQ of the side walls. Continued movement upwardly of the plunger next passes the upper end portion of the plunger and the partially formed box thereon between suitable devices for folding the end Walls 26-413 downwardly into overlapping relation to the end flaps l9, to thereby complete the formation of the box or cover element. The means for folding the end Walls 20 downwardly may consist of separate folding and pressing means, or such folding and pressing means may be combined into a single unit, such as represented by the rotatable end wall pressing drums represented at; 2l2l. The drums 2l2| are suitably rotatably mounted,

I and they may be driven in timed relation to the movement of the plunger 6 or they may be driven by the plunger. For the latter purpose, the end folding and pressing drums 2! may each be equipped with a series of arms such as represented at 22, which are provided with rollers on their outer ends for engagement with the upper end of the plunger 6. Such engagement of the rollers 22 by the plunger 6 on its upward moveposition, substantially as represented in Fig. '7, it I next begins to move downwardly. As an incident to such downward movement, the box section 24?; is stripped from the plunger and discharged to a conveyor 25, which serves to conduct the box out of the machine and to some other place for subsequentoperations. The strippingmeans may be considerably varied and is here represented as embodying a fixed stripper member 26 and a.mov-

able stripper member 21. The stripper member 27 is made movable so that after the box is released from the upper end of the plunger ii, the stripper member may move laterally to discharge the box to the conveyor 25. For that purpose, the stripper member 21 is illustrated as being carried by a movable member 28, which is supported by a pair of links 29 for lateral movement. The stripper member 21 is so constructed as to provide an upstanding member .33 which will engage and push the box 241) laterally over, the upper edge of the stripper 26 and to the conveyor 2e. Suitable means (not shown) are, of course, provided for actuating the stripper'member 2i in synchronized relation to the movements of the plunger 6.

Upon downward movement of the plungerii from its elevated position, as shown in Fig. 7, the lower end portion 3| thereof will engage a blank 2a which has by that time been delivered against the stop 4 and over the opening 5 in the plate. Continued downward movement of the plunger forces the box blank 2a between side folders, such as represented at 32, tuckers represented at 33, and'end wall folders and pressers, such as represented at 34. These parts operate on the box blank 2a in the same manner that the corresponding upwardly disposed parts act on the box blank 21;. Stationary or spring-acting stripper members 35 are provided for the purpose of stripping the box 24a from the lower end of the plunger when the latter'begins its next upward movement. The boxes 24a thus removed from the lower end of the plunger, are delivered to a conveyor 35 which carries the boxes to the desired place.

The box members 2411 and 24b may be of exactly like siz and construction, or one box may be sufficiently larger than the other to provide a telescopic fit of the larger box over the side and end walls of the other box. In this instance, the boxes formed by the opposite ends of the plunger are of like size. If it is desired to produce a larger box on one end of the mandrel or plunger, that end' side wall elements are folded downwardly relative to its central or top wall-forming panel I1, and adhesive is applied to theupper side of the side wall end ears [9, as represented in Fig. 3. In this arrangement, the end wall 28, when folded downwardly, will engage the adhesive-carrying surfaces of the end flaps I9.

When the box blank 2a is formed into a box by the described apparatus, its side and end walls It and 26 will be folded upwardlyrelative to its central or bottom panel l1. In that case, if ad-.

hesive were applied to the upper surfaces of the end flaps l9, they would have to be folded inwardly after the end flaps are folded upwardly in order to efiect engagement of the adhesive bearing surfaces of the end flaps IS with the outside surface of the end walls 20. This would result in a slightly different forming'of the box, and is otherwise undesirable.

In order that the end walls 20 may be folded into outwardly overlying relation to the end flaps laadhesive ,isapplied to the upper surfaces of the end flaps 20 of the blank 2a, as indicated by the stippllng in Fig.1. Then, when the end wall 20 is folded upwardly, its upper adhesivesurface is folded into engagement with the outside surfaces of the'end flaps l9, to which it becomes adhesively united in substantially the same relationship that exists between the end wall and end flaps of the box formed from the blank 22).

For the purpose of applyingadhesive alternately to the end flaps IQ of the blanks 2b, and to the end'walls 20 of the blanks 2a, a pair of glue-applyingv devices 31 and 33 are provided.

The adhesive-applying device, 31 may. be arranged to: apply adhesive to the upper surfaces of the end flaps. IQ of the blank 2b,'and the adhesive-applying device 38 may be arranged to apply adhesive to the upper surfaces of the end wall portions 20 of the blanks 2a. In thearrangement illustrated, adhesive is applied to upper surface portions of both blanks, but it will be apparent that, if desired, the adhesive-applying unit 3'! may be replaced by one which-oper- I ates to apply adhesive to the underside of the end wall 2E8 of the blanks 2a. Such an arrangement is perhaps less desirable than. the firstdescribed arrangement in thatit involvescertain problems of keeping the adhesive-carrying under-surface out of contact with theconveyor l, or other elements of the mechanism.

It will be seen that the described mechanism employs the movement in each direction of the reciprocating plunger to form a box. In convene tional reciprocating plunger. type. mechanisms, which have been known for many, many years past, boxes are formed only on the down-stroke particular elements for co-operating with the V plunger to fold the box blanksfmay, of course, be made, while retaining the benefits of the described construction.

I claim:

1. In a paper box making machine, means for successively delivering box blanks to a predeter mined box position, a" double-ended plunger,

means for reciprocating said plunger so as to.

cause its opposite ends to successively traverse said box blank position, and a pair of box-forming devices respectively disposed on opposite sides of said box blankpositionand respectively cooperating with the opposite ends of said plunger for forming boxes on said plunger ends incident to movement of the plunger in opposite directions.

2. In a paper box making machine, means for successively delivering box blanks to "a predetermined box position, a double-ended plunger,

means for reciprocating said plunger so as to I cause its opposite ends to successively traverse said box blank position, a pair of box-forming devices respectively disposed on opposite sides of said box blank position and respectively cooperating with the opposite ends of said plunger for forming boxes on said plunger ends incident to movement of the plunger in opposite directions, said box blank delivering means being arranged to feed all of said blanks through the same path of travel from one side of said box blank position, and a pair of adhesive applying devices arranged to respectively apply adhesive to predetermined areas of alternate blanks being fed through said path of travel.

FRANK D. PALMER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 488,086 Neeif Dec. 13, 1892 561,858 Beran June 9, 1896 1,053,087 Cooke Feb. 11, 1913 1,111,572 Giles Sept. 22, 1914 1,705,748 Bredgman Mar. 19, 1929 1,858,706 Giles May 17, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 18,974 Great Britain 1889 365,288 Great Britain Jan. 21, 1932 

